Sunday 29 June 2014

Mixed blessings on the Wedding day

I had to utmost pleasure to witness a very close friend of mine, a teacher I team-taught with for 4 years, get married to the woman of his dreams yesterday…..it was beautiful……even better was watching a man with emotions (I’m talking, a man who has his guard up 24/7) shed a tear! photomania-fe68a3e102d3a4eebd1ecad0b65e1b05 none of this “he-man, manly, muscly, butch” stuff….but full-on, raw, exposed, REAL emotion…..it was beautiful. IMG_4277 (1024x768) Set in a gorgeous tropical setting, it was a perfect day for the middle of winter (can you believe it?) IMG_4257 (1024x768) and we even got to share the first meal with them at Watermark on the Strand.  With Marty being a HUGE Broncos fan, and Nay not knowing one end of the field from the other before she met Marty, the cake topper was the ideal choice… IMG_4301 (768x1024)IMG_4302 (768x1024) We enjoyed an afternoon of love, laughter and reminiscing…..the perfect combination in the most beautiful of settings…. IMG_4310 (1024x768) It was an exceptionally beautiful day, all bar one thing…..I didn’t have their present ready…. IMG_4220 (1024x768) I had been working on it day in-day out, trying to get it completed for the BIG day, but alas, the quilting beat me!  I still have a bit to go, but now it’s going to be their after-honeymoon gift. IMG_4246 (1024x768) They assure me they don’t mind, but I have mixed emotions…wanting to complete it in time but wanting to have it ‘just perfect’ saw me not finishing it in time……. IMG_4248 (1024x768) so it just means another visit real soon to these two wonderful newlyweds for their first very special delivery!  I’m sure I’ll be making a baby quilt in the near future *wink*   I’ll just have to plan my time better for that one!   May they be forever blessed. IMG_4286 (1024x768) Sugary Sweet hugs xox my signature

Mixed blessings on the Wedding day

I had to utmost pleasure to witness a very close friend of mine, a teacher I team-taught with for 4 years, get married to the woman of his dreams yesterday…..it was beautiful……even better was watching a man with emotions (I’m talking, a man who has his guard up 24/7) shed a tear!

photomania-fe68a3e102d3a4eebd1ecad0b65e1b05

none of this “he-man, manly, muscly, butch” stuff….but full-on, raw, exposed, REAL emotion…..it was beautiful.

IMG_4277 (1024x768)

Set in a gorgeous tropical setting, it was a perfect day for the middle of winter (can you believe it?)

IMG_4257 (1024x768)

and we even got to share the first meal with them at Watermark on the Strand.  With Marty being a HUGE Broncos fan, and Nay not knowing one end of the field from the other before she met Marty, the cake topper was the ideal choice…

IMG_4301 (768x1024)IMG_4302 (768x1024)

We enjoyed an afternoon of love, laughter and reminiscing…..the perfect combination in the most beautiful of settings….

IMG_4310 (1024x768)

It was an exceptionally beautiful day, all bar one thing…..I didn’t have their present ready….

IMG_4220 (1024x768)

I had been working on it day in-day out, trying to get it completed for the BIG day, but alas, the quilting beat me!  I still have a bit to go, but now it’s going to be their after-honeymoon gift.

IMG_4246 (1024x768)

They assure me they don’t mind, but I have mixed emotions…wanting to complete it in time but wanting to have it ‘just perfect’ saw me not finishing it in time…….

IMG_4248 (1024x768)

so it just means another visit real soon to these two wonderful newlyweds for their first very special delivery!  I’m sure I’ll be making a baby quilt in the near future *wink*   I’ll just have to plan my time better for that one!   May they be forever blessed.

IMG_4286 (1024x768)

Sugary Sweet hugs xox

my signature

Tuesday 24 June 2014

FNSI Winners for June

What a fabulous turnout we had for FNSI this month….I was so happy to have you come and join me. o/ DSCN0130 And yes, I did make my pudding….but I made a ‘bit’ of a healthier option…..I used ‘extra light’ sour cream instead of the full cream variety, and instead of all that sugar in the sauce, I used this….. DSCN0120 Quite expensive, but definitely worth the health benefits….even tastes just like sugar in cooking…no yukky aftertaste at all.   It was delish……as was this project I’ve been working on… DSCN0125DSCN0126 this was Friday night’s effort….and by last night, this is where I had got to… IMG_4216 I”m thinking it’s perfect for the purpose….looks like wedding rings to me….do you think so?  This still needs borders put onto it but I’m on a deadline as the wedding is THIS SATURDAY……did I tell you I work best under pressure!? (by the way, I just love the fabrics from Blackbird Designs) zzzzzz Well, Mr RNG has done his thing and has drawn the two lucky winners this month….and he was very thoughtful this month…..I only had to draw twice……as our Southern Hemisphere winner was drawn on the first ‘spin’ and our Northern Hemisphere winner on the second! June1 Congratulations  BARB June2 and  EDI  !!!!!!!!! Woohoo……..I’ll be getting their prizes out very soon! It’s well worth a visit to their blogs to see what they’ve been up to…..as well as all the other wonderful ladies that joined in on Friday night!  Hope you can make it next month? Wherever you are in the world……Sugary hugs xox my signature

FNSI Winners for June

What a fabulous turnout we had for FNSI this month….I was so happy to have you come and join me. \o/

DSCN0130

And yes, I did make my pudding….but I made a ‘bit’ of a healthier option…..I used ‘extra light’ sour cream instead of the full cream variety, and instead of all that sugar in the sauce, I used this…..

DSCN0120

Quite expensive, but definitely worth the health benefits….even tastes just like sugar in cooking…no yukky aftertaste at all.   It was delish……as was this project I’ve been working on…

DSCN0125DSCN0126

this was Friday night’s effort….and by last night, this is where I had got to…

IMG_4216

I”m thinking it’s perfect for the purpose….looks like wedding rings to me….do you think so?  This still needs borders put onto it but I’m on a deadline as the wedding is THIS SATURDAY……did I tell you I work best under pressure!? (by the way, I just love the fabrics from Blackbird Designs)

zzzzzz

Well, Mr RNG has done his thing and has drawn the two lucky winners this month….and he was very thoughtful this month…..I only had to draw twice……as our Southern Hemisphere winner was drawn on the first ‘spin’ and our Northern Hemisphere winner on the second!

June1

Congratulations  BARB

June2

and  EDI  !!!!!!!!!

Woohoo……..I’ll be getting their prizes out very soon!

It’s well worth a visit to their blogs to see what they’ve been up to…..as well as all the other wonderful ladies that joined in on Friday night!  Hope you can make it next month?

Wherever you are in the world……Sugary hugs xox

my signature

Monday 23 June 2014

FNSI Winners drawn tonight

Don’t forget to post about your Friday Night shenanigans today, if you haven’t already. Remember, to be fair to everyone, no post, no win!   I’ll be drawing TWO winners tonight (which allows for our friends on the other side of the world). FNSIButton Could it be you??? PS…..lock the next date in your diary…..third Friday of each month….next one is July 18th Sugary hugs xox my signature

FNSI Winners drawn tonight

Don’t forget to post about your Friday Night shenanigans today, if you haven’t already. Remember, to be fair to everyone, no post, no win!   I’ll be drawing TWO winners tonight (which allows for our friends on the other side of the world).

FNSIButton

Could it be you???

PS…..lock the next date in your diary…..third Friday of each month….next one is July 18th

Sugary hugs xox

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Thursday 19 June 2014

Icy treats

Yesterday I had quite a few comments about the sugar content of my choices of sweet treats for FNSI and having looked at it closely, I did notice there was “a bit” too much!  However, in my defence, it is a once a month treat, and I’m not condoning eating the lot (although again, I say, ‘once a month’???)  hee hee So…with that in mind, I decided to have a look for a healthy alternative and for our northern folk who are experiencing a bit of summer weather, I thought this might be a nice treat….. (and it’s ‘healthy’ too!) Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream Photo credit: Guinness Milk Chocolate Ice Cream by joyosity, on Flickr

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Ingredients
  • · Cocoa powder, organic if possible (2-3 tablespoons)
  • · Coconut milk, full fat (2 cups) 
  • · Sea salt (pinch)
  • · Honey (1/4 cup) — or use organic cane sugar or stevia to taste
  • · Vanilla extract, real — (1 TBS)
  • · Egg yolks, pastured or free-range organic (4 egg yolks)
Equipment
Ice cream maker
Medium saucepan
Whisk
Directions
1. Add coconut milk and cocoa powder to medium saucepan on low heat and whisk to combine.
2. Stir in the sea salt, honey (or sugar or stevia) and vanilla extract, and whisk until honey is incorporated. Remove from heat. (Note: If you are using stevia, you don’t need to heat it.)
3. Whisk in the egg yolks.
4. Chill this mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. (You can skip this step if you’re not heating it.)
5. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions of your ice cream maker. In 30-45 minutes you will have ice cream!   (If you don’t have an ice cream maker, place in a baking pan and after a few hours, take out and mix.  This breaks down the ice crystals.  You may have to do this a few times) Enjoy! It’s too chilly here for ice cream at the moment but this one’s going in my recipe file, that’s for sure! PS.  Don’t forget to go back to my previous posts and link up for FNSI…..wheeeeeee….my favourite time of the month….can’t wait! Sugary hugs xox my signature  

Icy treats

Yesterday I had quite a few comments about the sugar content of my choices of sweet treats for FNSI and having looked at it closely, I did notice there was “a bit” too much!  However, in my defence, it is a once a month treat, and I’m not condoning eating the lot (although again, I say, ‘once a month’???)  hee hee

So…with that in mind, I decided to have a look for a healthy alternative and for our northern folk who are experiencing a bit of summer weather, I thought this might be a nice treat….. (and it’s ‘healthy’ too!)

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Photo credit: Guinness Milk Chocolate Ice Cream by joyosity, on Flickr

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Ingredients
  • · Cocoa powder, organic if possible (2-3 tablespoons)
  • · Coconut milk, full fat (2 cups) 
  • · Sea salt (pinch)
  • · Honey (1/4 cup) — or use organic cane sugar or stevia to taste
  • · Vanilla extract, real — (1 TBS)
  • · Egg yolks, pastured or free-range organic (4 egg yolks)
Equipment

Ice cream maker
Medium saucepan
Whisk

Directions

1. Add coconut milk and cocoa powder to medium saucepan on low heat and whisk to combine.
2. Stir in the sea salt, honey (or sugar or stevia) and vanilla extract, and whisk until honey is incorporated. Remove from heat. (Note: If you are using stevia, you don’t need to heat it.)
3. Whisk in the egg yolks.
4. Chill this mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. (You can skip this step if you’re not heating it.)
5. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions of your ice cream maker. In 30-45 minutes you will have ice cream!   (If you don’t have an ice cream maker, place in a baking pan and after a few hours, take out and mix.  This breaks down the ice crystals.  You may have to do this a few times)

Enjoy!

It’s too chilly here for ice cream at the moment but this one’s going in my recipe file, that’s for sure!

PS.  Don’t forget to go back to my previous posts and link up for FNSI…..wheeeeeee….my favourite time of the month….can’t wait!

Sugary hugs xox

my signature

 

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Wintery delights

I’ve been checking out my Pinterest boards for something yummy to create for our Friday Night Sew In…
and I had some prerequisites for choosing something for this month’s get-together- 1.  must be yummy 2.  must be quick and easy, leaving time free for sewing 3.  must be warm and luscious (well, we do only get together once a month….so once a month we can give ourselves permission to let ourselves go, surely?) 4.  must be chocolatey (well, we are all hormonal girls aren’t we?  but I am open to having males join our FNSI too…and having a few in the house, I know how much chocolate appeals to them too) 5.  must be foolproof (after all, I don’t want to be slaving away all for nothing) 6. must have been reviewed by others as super-delish (I checked the credentials on the blog!) The recipe that stuck out to me was from Kathy at Sweet Tea and Cornbread…it’s the Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake, which I’ve reproduced from her blog for you below.  I’m so keen to try it.  She has loads of delicious recipes there…..well worth a visit. By the way, if you haven’t signed up for FNSI yet, click on the button below to take you to sign-ups.  We wouldn’t like to stitch without you!
FNSIButton
 
Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake!
(recipe and all photos courtesy of Sweet Tea and Cornbread)
This is one of the easiest, no fail desserts you will ever make.  If you have a slow cooker, a cake mix, and a few other ingredients, you have got this one.   It's a great dessert to make when you are cooking for a big crowd or have a lot of dishes to do, because it doesn't require a lot of fussing over and it stays nice and warm in the slow cooker until you are ready to serve.  You can serve just the cake topped with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or you can kick it up a bit by making the simple hot fudge sauce and pouring that over the ice cream and cake.  That really elevates this dessert to something very special.     Here are the ingredients: Chocolate Pudding Cake:
  • 1 box chocolate cake mix, any kind you prefer
  • 1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 3/4 cups oil
  • 1  1/2 cups water ( I used Sprite, we always substitute the water with Sprite or ginger ale)
  • 1 (6 oz.) pkg chocolate chips
  • Chocolate Sauce:
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 4 Tbs. flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 Tbs. butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • dash of salt
Mix all of the cake ingredients together in a bowl.  Spray the slow cooker really well with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour cake mixture in the slow cooker and set on low.  Cook for 5-6 hours depending on how fast your slow cooker cooks.  The newer ones cook at a littler higher temperatures and mine was done in 5 hours.   Try not to lift the lid of the slow cooker while cooking as this lets the heat escape and slows down the cooking process. To make the chocolate sauce, mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  In a pan, mix the milk, butter and vanilla until butter is melted.  Add in the dry ingredients and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens.  Turn to low to keep warm.  If the sauce is a little too thick before serving, drop about a tablespoon of butter into it and whisk.  Don't heat it back to boiling but just warm it.  This is what some folks in the south call chocolate gravy and serve it for breakfast over biscuits.   If you are a chocolate lover, there is nothing better. To assemble, place a piece of the warm cake in a bowl, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, top that with the chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a cherry!   Chocolate Pudding Cake!   I didn’t forget our friends in the Northern Hemisphere…..you might like to try something a little more summery from Kathy’s repertoire…. The recipe for these delights can be found HERE  (maybe I might just have to try those too!?)
Sugary hugs xox 
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